A Call to Build the House of the class="small-caps" >Lord

In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the class="small-caps" >Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest:

This is what the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the class="small-caps" >Lord’s house.’”

Then the word of the class="small-caps" >Lord came through the prophet Haggai:

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

Now this is what the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.

You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

This is what the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.

Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the class="small-caps" >Lord.

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.

Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.

I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the class="small-caps" >Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the class="small-caps" >Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the class="small-caps" >Lord.

So the class="small-caps" >Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty, their God,

on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the class="small-caps" >Lord came through the prophet Haggai:

But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the class="small-caps" >Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the class="small-caps" >Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty.

‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

“This is what the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty.

‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty.”

Blessings for a Defiled People

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the class="small-caps" >Lord came to the prophet Haggai:

If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’” The priests answered, “No.”

Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?” “Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”

“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the class="small-caps" >Lord’s temple.

When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.

I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the class="small-caps" >Lord.